Coming Home
by Catalina H
Summary: CJ Eppes ran away from home when she was sixteen. Now eight years later, she’s decided to finally come back and face her family. But that’s not easy when it means facing everything she’s been running from. And how will her family react to her return?
1. Look Who's Back

**Disclaimer: I don't own NUMB3RS, it's characters, or anything like that. I merely use them for my story. No copyright infringement is intended! I'm just someone who likes to write stories about my favorite tv shows and books, I do it for fun, not for money.**

**A/N: OK, I know it's been a while since I've written anything. That's not exactly true though, I have a few stories I'm working on, but I want to finish them before I upload, and I'm still working on my other stories, I just don't have the right mindset to work on them and get them right at the moment. So if you read my other stories, don't worry, I'm working on them and hopefully I can update them relatively soon. Work has just been consuming most of my time this summer. Anyway, I thought about finishing this one before I start uploading, but I decided I'd like to get some feedback on this one. Don't worry I'm already working on the next chapter. I just got this story idea in my head and started typing. Hope you guys like it, and I'd really appreciate some feedback to let me know what you think. Enjoy!  
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Chapter 1 - Look Who's Back

Don and Robin were laying on the couch in his living room watching a movie when they heard a knock on the apartment door. When he didn't make a move to go answer the door, Robin gave him a questioning look.

"Maybe if we ignore it they'll think no one's home," he explained.

Robin chuckled. "I doubt that, they can probably hear the TV." The knocking became louder and more incessant. She gave him a pointed look. "See, told you so."

Don rolled his eyes as he reluctantly got up off the couch. "Fine, I'll get it." Robin smirked and paused the movie as he headed for the door. "Coming," he called to the person at the door.

When he opened the door his mouth dropped open in surprise. Standing in the hallway, next to a large old worn out duffle bag on the ground in old blue jeans and a loose faded dark green t-shirt with her dark wavy hair pulled back, was the one person Don never expected to see there. Though she was older, she still looked like the girl he remembered.

"CJ?" The shock was evident in his voice as he just stood there, stunned.

She smiled. "Good to see you too bro," she replied sarcastically as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging tightly.

Don chuckled as he hugged her back. "I _am_ glad to see you. I missed you kiddo," he told her seriously.

"I know, I missed you too Donnie," she agreed, equally serious, as they released each other.

"So, what are you doing here?" CJ grinned, with a look he knew all too well. "What do you want?" he sighed exasperatedly.

CJ chuckled. "You know me too well. Actually, I was hoping I could crash on your couch for a couple nights?" she answered cautiously.

Don raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, I'm moving back. And before you say anything," she added hurriedly, seeing he was getting ready to say something. "I've already got a job, and I was _supposed_ to have an apartment. _But_, I got here sooner than I planned so it's not ready yet, but the landlord said it'll be ready in a few days. So I just need a place to crash for a couple nights until it is," she explained quickly.

Don stood there watching her for a minute, digesting everything she'd said. "You're moving back to LA?" he questioned slowly, and in slight disbelief. CJ nodded. "Does...anyone else know?" he asked cautiously, noting her uneasiness as she knew who he was talking about.

"No," she admitted quietly.

"You gonna tell them?"

CJ took a deep breath. "Yes."

Don raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Really?" He didn't want to sound hopeful, but couldn't deny the fact that he wished she would.

CJ nodded, smiling slightly. "I figured 'why not?'...I mean, it's not like things could get any worse, right?" she sighed, trying to sound casual, but Don knew her better than to believe that facade.

Don nodded. "I think that's a good idea," he agreed sincerely, trying to sound reassuring. It worked because she smiled and nodded. Don smiled. "I'm glad you're back sis," he told her, hugging her again. "And you can stay as long as you want," he added.

CJ smiled as she hugged him back. "Thanks Donnie."

"Hey Don, who was-" Robin stopped short when she saw CJ. "...at the door," she finished weakly.

Don grinned though, and turned to introduce the two. "Robin, this is my little sister CJ. CJ, this is my girlfriend Robin."

Robin, though she looked surprised, smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you CJ."

"You too," CJ agreed, with an amused grin on her face.

"You didn't tell me you had a sister," Robin added pointedly to Don, who hesitated with his answer.

"He wouldn't," CJ answered for her brother, who sent a grateful look her way. "I don't exactly come up in any conversation willingly," she explained to Robin, who looked curious. "Long story." Robin nodded understandingly. "I wasn't interrupting anything was I?" CJ inquired, a small mischievous smirk on her face.

Don rolled his eyes. "We were just watching a movie."

CJ raised her eyebrows, giving Don a very disbelieving look. "Don, I didn't fall for that when I was five. What makes you think I'm gonna fall for it now, especially after having used that excuse myself?"

"We really were just-Wait..." Don paused, realizing what she'd just said. "What do you mean you've used that excuse?" he questioned in his authoritative big brother voice.

CJ just smiled uncomfortably and grabbed her bag. "I'm just gonna go throw this in the closet," she said quickly before retreating back into the apartment.

Robin laughed at the two siblings as Don continued to scowl after CJ had left. She went over and gave him a hug. "I think I should probably go, give you two some time since it's obviously been a while. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"You sure?" Don asked. "You can stay if you want," he assured her.

Robin smiled. "I'm sure. But you two have fun, and I expect to get to see her again," she added with finality.

Don smirked. "I'll see what I can do," he agreed.

"Good enough." Robin gave him a quick kiss and then grabbed her things and left.

After she was gone, Don went to find CJ, a little concerned about where she'd gone off to since she'd never even been in his apartment before. He found her in the kitchen sitting on the counter drinking a beer. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What? I'm twenty-four Don, it's legal," she defended.

"Yeah, now it is."

"Hey, you did it too."

They stared at each other challengingly for about a minute before simultaneously chuckling. Neither were sure why it was so easy to joke around with each other after so many years apart, but even though the underlying tension was still there they found that it wasn't too difficult to overlook for the time being.

"So, did I ruin your night?" she asked apologetically as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge.

Don shook his head. "No, we really were _just_ watching a movie." CJ just shrugged slightly, though he could tell she didn't quite believe him. "Besides, I'm glad you're here," he told her. CJ smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, and Don knew something was on her mind, but could tell she wasn't in a mood to share. "So, what's this job you've got?" he asked curiously, subtly bringing up a different subject.

CJ grinned. "I'm a bartender at Mikey's."

Don raised an eyebrow. "That crappy little pool hall?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not that crappy anymore, and it's not so little either. They remodeled a few years ago and it's actually starting to get pretty popular."

"If you say so," Don scoffed. CJ rolled her eyes again, but didn't comment. "So when do you start?" he questioned, trying to keep the conversation going so they wouldn't fall into what was sure to be a very uncomfortable silence.

"Tomorrow afternoon. It's just for a few hours, but it'll help me get acquainted with the place before they throw me to the wolves, so to speak. Plus, that gives me time to register for classes in the morning."

Don frowned slightly. "What classes?"

"I'm going back to school. I'll be taking some classes at USC. Not a full load or anything, but a few," CJ informed him.

Don smiled. "Good for you. So, what are you studying?"

CJ furrowed her brows. "Not really sure yet. Probably something to do with like business management or something." Don raised his eyebrows skeptically. CJ shrugged. "What? It might be cool."

Don just smirked and shook his head. "Whatever."

The two fell into the uncomfortable silence they both knew was coming as they just stood or sat there drinking their beers. Don took a deep breath and decided to bite the bullet, in a manner of speaking.

"So...when are you gonna talk to Dad and Charlie?"

CJ visibly stiffened and looked down. Don just stood there, waiting for her to say something.

"They hate me," she whispered.

"What?" Don blurted incredulously. "CJ..." he started, setting his beer down and walking over to stand in front of her. "Hey...we _all_ love you. Sure, we were angry when you left, but that doesn't mean any of us ever hated you, not for one second," he assured her firmly. CJ glanced up for a second, but refused to meet his eyes. Don sighed and put his hands on her knees. "Eight years is a long time kiddo." CJ nodded, but kept looking down. "Things aren't just gonna work themselves out, you gotta give it time. But give 'em a chance, they miss you too. We all have."

CJ looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry," she said quietly but sincerely.

Don gave her a small smile and nodded slightly. "I know kiddo," he assured her softly. The seconds trickled by and the siblings stayed silent, both coming to an unspoken agreement that that was the last time they'd bring up the past tonight. "Well, I think there might be a game on somewhere we could find," Don finally said, grabbing his beer off the counter and starting to head into the living room.

CJ smirked as she hopped down from the counter and followed him. "Let me guess, you let her pick the movie?"

"Yep."

"Chick flick?"

"Yep."

CJ laughed. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm here now to save you from that," she teased as they sat down on the couch.

Don chuckled. "Oh yeah?" he teased back, pulling her into a light choke hold and ruffling her hair.

"Hey!" she protested, lightly punching him in the side to get him to let go.

Both were laughing when they finally stopped. Instead of trying to fix her hair, CJ just pulled out the hairband and let her wavy hair fall down. Don smirked and ruffled it again, earning a playful smack in the gut. He held up his hands in mock surrender, and CJ smirked and held out her hand to call a truce. Don grinned and shook it, and they both settled back against the couch and watched the game on TV. They were both glad they didn't seemed to have lost the close bond they'd had growing up, but both were aware that it wasn't going to be this easy, especially with their Dad and Charlie, once old issues started to resurface. But for the time being, they decided to just enjoy being back together, like they used to be.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked the first chapter! I know it was really just Don and CJ in this chapter, but hopefully you'll understand why I did that in the next couple chapters. I should have an update up soon. And as always, reviews are much appreciated!**


	2. Going Back

**A/N: Sorry! I know it took me a while to update. Though in my defense I was working on this story, just not this particular chapter...Anyway, I finally finished it. It would've been up a few hours ago, but I had to run out for a bit. But, thanks to all those who reviewed! And a BIG thanks to Adri1577 who gave me a great idea for this story! Anyway, here's the chapter, enjoy!**

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Chapter 2 - Going Back

When Don woke up the next morning, he at first thought he might've imagined the night before. Then he saw CJ asleep on the couch as he was getting ready for work. He was happy she was back, but part of him still wondered why she'd finally decided to come home. CJ had always been stubborn, a trait Don knew both he and Charlie shared with her, and when she ran away Don, who had already been working for the FBI, tried to find her, but she was determined to not be found. He had been working in Fugitive Recovery with Billy at the time, and even though he'd never had much trouble finding fugitives, Don wasn't able to find his little sister. He remembered even when she was little she'd always been the best at hide and seek, no one could ever find her if she didn't want to be found, so he stopped looking, thinking if she wanted someone to find her then she'd let them.

Three years ago when their mom got sick, Don decided to try again. That time he did find her though. She'd changed her last name to Mann and was living in Miami. She'd done a good job of staying off-grid too, the only reason he found her was because the police had picked her up after she got into a bar fight with some college frat boys who'd been harassing her. They didn't press charges, but the entry in the computer had caught Don's attention and led him to her. CJ had definitely been surprised to see him when he showed up, but he'd been thankful she didn't try to blow him off. He was glad to see she hadn't turned into an addict or worse, but she was still a mess, going from odd job to odd job, moving around all the time, though she did tell him she'd gone back to school and gotten her high school diploma. Though he tried his best to convince her to come back home, she refused to do it, and wouldn't tell him why either. He'd been mad at her for a while after that, but eventually realized he couldn't blame her, it would've been a lot to deal with, especially on top of everything else. When their mom died, he had been able to get a message to her, but, even though he'd held out a little hope, she didn't show up at the funeral.

Don, like he knew CJ was too, was dreading the conversation with their Dad and Charlie. Though he knew why CJ was, he was dreading it because he knew they'd probably find out about his visit to her a few years ago, but he'd made a promise and never told them about it. It had never been a secret that Don and CJ were close, even despite their eleven year age difference, and he was glad that that didn't seem to have changed, but he hoped that she didn't wait too long to patch things up with their Dad and Charlie. He knew from experience that the longer you kept things from those two, the harder it was going to be. And this was going to be hard enough as it was.

He pushed that train of thought out of his head as he fixed his coffee, deciding it was too early to start worrying about that stuff. He heard a thud in the other room and when he looked up Don saw CJ stumbling into the kitchen, still in her pajama pants and t-shirt, looking like she was still half-asleep.

"I see you're still not a morning person," he chuckled. CJ didn't even pretend to respond, instead just slumped onto the barstool and rested her head on the counter. "Here." Don pushed the coffee pot and a mug towards her.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she sat up and poured the coffee, downing the first cup quickly. She ran a hand over her face as she sat the mug back down, and actually seemed to be waking up, as she noticed what her brother was wearing. "Getting ready to go to work?"

Don nodded. "Yeah, we still have some paperwork to finish up from our last case, and I figured if I finish up soon enough we could grab some lunch," he suggested.

CJ grinned as she fixed another cup of coffee. "Sure, it shouldn't take too long for me to get registered for classes," she agreed.

Don smirked. "CJ Mann, college student," he teased. CJ smiled and chuckled, but looked a little reserved about something, Don noticed. "What is it?"

CJ took a breath. "It's Eppes again," she informed him. "I changed it back last year."

Don was surprised. He knew she'd changed her name, not only as a way to avoid being found, but mainly as a way to declare her independence from the family, and was surprised that she would change it back. But he was also glad, and CJ knew that. Neither had ever been one for talking about stuff, and had gotten good at being able to guess what the other was really feeling. So, in a minute, even without saying a word, they knew what the other wanted to say but never would. Don knew that CJ had come back because she missed her family, and CJ knew Don was just as happy to have his little sister back as she was to have her big brother back.

Don smiled. "Well, I gotta get to work kiddo," he told her, giving her a quick hug and kiss on the head. "I'll see ya at lunch?" he confirmed on his way to the door.

"It's a date," she called back.

They smirked at each other.

"See ya."

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"Finally," Don sighed as he finished up his paperwork.

"Not at all happy to be done are you?" Colby asked sarcastically, more of a statement than an actual question, from his desk where he was still working on his paperwork.

Don grinned. "I'm just glad I finished before lunch."

"Why, got a lunch date?" Megan teased, coming over to stand by Don's desk. She'd finished her paperwork a half an hour ago.

"Oh? I thought Robin was in court today?" David questioned, joining in the conversation. He too had already finished his paperwork.

"She does," Don answered, checking his watch and standing up to grab his jacket.

"So..." Megan prompted.

But before Don could reply CJ walked over.

"Hey there you are, perfect timing," Don greeted, giving her a one-armed hug.

"Really?" CJ looked at her watch and shrugged. "Huh. I thought I was running late, but oh well. Whatever."

Don just smirked and shook his head, but then noticed his team's questioning looks. "Uh, CJ, let me introduce you to some people. This is Megan Reeves, David Sinclair, and Colby Granger."

CJ smiled and shook their hands. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," they replied politely, but still looking at Don curiously.

"Uh guys, this is CJ...my little sister."

His team's reactions were expected. David and Colby glanced at each other and then back at Don and CJ, their looks clearly saying 'No way!'. Megan's face however was thoughtful, and if her eyebrows weren't raised in surprise they would have all thought she hadn't heard him. Don was bracing himself for what they were going to say. CJ, however, just smirked.

"You have a sister?" Colby finally said, both stunned and incredulous.

"Oh come on Granger, they're clearly related," Megan pointed out obviously. Don, CJ, and David snickered and Colby just rolled his eyes. It _was_ obvious, they had the same dark hair, same dark eyes, same smirk.

"How come you didn't tell us you had a sister man?" David asked curiously.

Don shrugged. "Well, I just -"

"He didn't think I was coming back," CJ finished. Don took a breath as his team all were wearing curious looks, and he knew they wouldn't be satisfied until they got an answer. "I've been gone a while, and I haven't...really kept in touch with anyone," she informed them, trying to sound casual. Don noticed her pause and knew what she had been getting ready to say was 'and I haven't talked to any of them for eight years.'

"But you're back now," Megan pointed out, noticing the underlying tension between the pair that showed itself after CJ's answer and deciding to subtly change the subject.

CJ nodded. "Yeah, I've moved back."

"So, where's Charlie? Is he gonna meet you guys for lunch or something?" David questioned lightly, neither him or Colby noticed both Don and CJ tense when he mentioned Charlie, but Megan did.

"Yeah, tell him good job on that last case," Colby added. "I may not've understood what he was saying, but whatever he did was pretty cool, and it worked."

CJ sent a both questioning and angry look at her brother, who just mouthed 'Later.'

"No, we're not meeting Charlie, but I'll tell him you said that," Don told them, chuckling lightly about the last part. "See you guys later."

"Nice to meet you all," CJ added as Don started to walk away.

"You too," they replied, giving a small wave as they watched the siblings leave.

"Wow..." David sighed after they were out of hearing range.

"A sister..." Colby agreed.

Megan, though, narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, trying to figure out what the two Eppes _hadn't_ said out loud, whatever something it was that was why CJ was gone for a while without any contact with her family.

When the elevator doors closed behind Don and CJ, she rounded on him, thankfully they were the only two in the elevator. "Now, what the hell is Charlie doing working with you?" she demanded.

Don rolled his eyes and sighed, "I'll explain over lunch."

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Over their lunch Don had told CJ all about how Charlie had come to consult for the FBI, being sure to mention how big of an asset he was. Though CJ understood Don's point of view, and definitely understood Charlie's, she still wasn't too thrilled about the idea of both of her brothers involved in the same dangerous work, a sentiment Don not only agreed with but shared. He did assure her though that Charlie was never out in the field and he tried to keep Charlie from knowing all the gory details, and that eased her mind a little, though she'd never really had any doubt Don would try to protect Charlie, he always had, for both his siblings.

After that, the two just spent their meal playing catch up, though Don left out most of his work stuff and CJ just left out a lot, and Don suspected he probably didn't want to know what she wasn't telling him.

When Don brought up the inevitable subject of when she was going to talk to their Dad and Charlie, CJ tried to change the subject, even though she knew evasive techniques didn't work so well on a big brother who was used to interrogating hardened criminals.

"Come on CJ, when I asked you if you were going to tell them you were back, you said 'yes', you said you were going to talk to them," Don pointed out.

"Yeah, well, you know that when I say 'yes' it usually means 'eventually'," she retorted.

Don rolled his eyes. "I'm not letting you talk your way out of this one CJ," he warned her firmly. "You're going to talk to Dad and Charlie. And if you don't tell them you're back within the next few days, I will."

CJ's eyes shot up to meet her brothers, she knew he was serious. "Look, I move into my apartment in a couple days," she started slowly. "After that...I'll talk to them," she promised.

Don begrudgingly nodded. "Fine, but I mean it CJ...end of the week, either you've told them you're back or I have."

CJ rolled her eyes, but nodded reluctantly. "Deal."

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When Don got back to the parking garage, he felt like something was off when he got out of the SUV. He glanced down at the keys in his hand. He knew it was minute, but they felt different somehow. Then as he slowly turned them over in his hand as he headed towards the building, he realized there was a key missing. He stopped, he didn't have to be a genius or even think about it to know which key was missing and who'd taken it.

"Dammit CJ," he muttered under his breath, hopping back into the SUV and driving off.

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She knew Don would want to kill her once he figured out what she'd done and what she was going to do, which she also knew wouldn't take him too long to realize. But CJ knew this was something she had to do. She knew if she couldn't face this, then there was no way in hell she would be able to face her father and brother.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the craftsman house that had been her home for over sixteen years. Charlie and her Dad were out, that much she knew, Don had told her that Charlie was in classes all afternoon and that their Dad had a meeting with Stan. Not that she was trying to avoid them, though she was, but this would go better without them here.

When she first walked in, CJ noticed that not much had changed. Most of the furniture was still in the same place, most of the pictures were still on the wall, except for the ones of her, which she knew her father had put somewhere out of immediate sight to avoid questions by people who were just passing through. Knowing that not much else had changed, CJ made her way up to the room she knew wouldn't have even been entered in years.

Taking another deep breath, she slowly turned the handle and opened the door to her old bedroom.

It looked exactly the same as the day she'd left. All of her music and sports posters were still up on the walls, her books still messily stacked on the bookshelf, the radio still on her nightstand, closet door still halfway open.

She still remembered that day perfectly.

_CJ sat in the dark closet, door shut for extra privacy in case her Mom or Dad decided to ignore the 'KEEP OUT' sign on her bedroom door, she knew if their parents knew about her phone calls with Don when he rarely returned theirs it wouldn't be good for either of them. She sighed when he still hadn't answered after the fifth ring. She knew he was probably on assignment and was somewhere he couldn't talk, that's the only time he wouldn't answer her phone calls, but she'd been hoping that maybe he was free, if only for a few minutes._

_Waiting for the voicemail to pick up so she could leave one, otherwise he'd get worried and call Mom and Dad, she looked at the letter in her other hand. She'd been hoping he would've answered and she wouldn't have to send it, maybe not even needing it at all if he was still as good at those 'big brother pep talks', as she called them, as she remembered. He'd always been able to cheer her up if she was down or give her the little push she needed to do something or, like she thought might be the case this time, talk her out of doing something stupid. But the voicemail message came on and she decided the letter would have to do, she just hoped he would understand._

_"Hey Donnie!" she started cheerfully, but quiet since she didn't want to be overheard. "I was just calling to...check in I guess, make sure you're still okay. Tell Coop I'll kick his ass if something happens to you." She smirked, knowing they'd both get a kick out of that one. But then she paused, trying to word the real reason for her call. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you...I'm sending you a letter! I'm putting it in the mail today, so I hope you get it soon. But um...yeah, uh...don't call back until you've read the letter. I'm gonna be busy for a while, so I won't be able to answer your call anyway." She chuckled lightly. "Guess the shoe's on the other foot now, huh? Look, I know you're curious, but...it's complicated, you should understand after you read the letter though." Or at least I hope you do, she thought. "Well, I should go...Good luck with your assignment! Be careful, or at least stay safe. I'm not sure when we'll get to talk, but....I miss you..." CJ swallowed, trying to hold back the tears that were starting to form as she started to realize the full effect her decision was going to have on not just her but her whole family. "Take care big brother. I love you." And she hung up, staring at the handset for another minute or so afterwards._

_Taking a deep breath she exited the closet and stood over her bed, which she'd actually made for a change, not wanting everyone who came in her room after today to think she was a slob, even if it was true for the most part, a trait she'd picked up from living with her brothers. She looked down at the note on the pillow. She'd kept it short, it just said 'Hey guys, I know you won't understand, but this is something I just have to do. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I love you all! CJ' . CJ knew that the contents of the note would basically be ignored, they wouldn't understand, they wouldn't realize it was something she had to do, they wouldn't believe she was fine, and they would worry about her, even question if she really did love them probably. This wasn't a decision she'd come to lightly, in fact she'd been thinking about it since Don and Charlie went off to college and then started their careers, but she knew her family wouldn't understand it. If anyone did, it would be Don, hence why he was the one she wrote the letter to, trying to explain._

_She took another deep breath and grabbed her duffle bag, heading for the door, pausing only to take one final look around her room, and then she left._

CJ wasn't exactly sure what had happened here after she'd left, but she had a pretty good idea. She knew one of her parents, most likely her mother, had come in looking for her and found the note. Her parents probably then called all of her friends, or at least the ones they knew about, to see if she was there, and then called her brothers, but of course Don wouldn't have answered. She'd bet they probably called the police after their lack of success, but the cops had probably told them there wasn't much they could do about a runaway, which the note proved was what had happened, that CJ had run away. Then, probably, a couple days later Don would have gotten the letter and, after reading it several times to actually believe it, then called their parents, who would've been distraught. Then, she figured it was a safe bet that, Don came home as soon as he could. Though he would've had the usual 'Why did she tell you and not us?' conversation with Charlie and their parents, Don would've still tried to explain his best understanding of why his little sister had ran away. But CJ knew that Don probably never understood, and had probably stood in the same spot she was standing in now, looking around to try and work through what had sparked her departure, while Charlie had probably retreated into his math and refused to think about his sister.

CJ took a deep breath and went over to the closet, opening the door all the way, and sat down on the floor inside, resting her forearms on her knees and leaning her head back against the wall. It was the one spot in the whole house that had always been her safe haven, her sanctuary. When she was on the floor in this closet it felt like nothing from the outside could touch her in here, it was like time just stopped and let her relax and escape from everything.

Even now, she still wasn't sure if she'd made the right decision that day, if she was right to run away, if that had been the best thing to do, especially after Don's visit three years ago and how Charlie'd handled their mother's illness. Then again, CJ wasn't sure what she could've done to change things, nobody could've done anything for their mother and Charlie never listened to her in the first place so she knew she wouldn't have been able to bring him out of his cocoon. She didn't regret the decisions she'd made, but she still wondered what would've happened if she'd done even just one thing differently.

CJ heard the front door open and shut, and knew it was Don. Though she still puzzled and confused him often, he still knew her better than anyone else, and he would know that she would come here, and why.

She heard him pause and take a deep breath at the bedroom door, and knew he was steeling himself for the conversation they were about to have.

"Hey kiddo," he said softly, standing at the closet door looking down at her. It reminded him of all the times he'd found her hiding in here as a kid, trying to just escape from everything, trying to work through whatever was bothering her.

He remembered the last serious conversation they'd had in this closet when he was still living at home.

_Don opened up the closet door and found his seven year old sister sitting on the floor hugging her knees. She didn't look up at him, or even acknowledge his presence._

_"Mind if I join you?" he questioned lightly. CJ just shrugged, still not looking up at him, and he sat down next to her. "Come on kiddo, what's wrong?" he asked seriously, nudging her slightly._

_She still didn't look at him, but she said quietly in a tiny sad voice, "You're leaving me."_

_Don sighed, thinking, So that's what this is about, though he'd known that was probably it to begin with. "CJ...I'm going to college, it's part of growing up. But that doesn't mean I'm leaving you," he assured her._

_Now CJ looked over at her brother. "You're leaving. Charlie's leaving. Mom's leaving. I know 'why'! You guys get to go off to college! You get to be all grown up, getting away from all of us, and Charlie gets to go show everyone how smart he is, and Mom gets to watch him. That leaves me here by myself!"_

_Don just stared at his little sister. He was the one person who'd seen every one of her moods, or at least all the ones she'd been through so far, and knew how to handle them all, but this one...he'd never seen her so upset and feeling so alone before. He knew how she felt, but it still hurt to know that there wasn't much he could do about it either._

_He pulled her into a hug, and she rested her head against his chest. "CJ...you're not gonna be by yourself, Dad's gonna be here too."_

_"'S not the same," she mumbled._

_Don nodded. "I know. But look, we'll all be together for the holidays, you know Mom won't let us be apart for those. And hey, I'm not gonna be that far away," he said in an attempt to cheer her up._

_"But you're going to be busy," she pointed out._

_"Yeah, but how 'bout I make you a deal? When I have enough free time, I'll come back for a day or two and we can do something together."_

_CJ pulled away and looked Don in the eyes. "You mean it?"_

_Don rolled his eyes. "No, I'm kidding," he said sarcastically, earning a glare from CJ. "Yes, I mean it! When have I ever lied to you about something like this?" he continued seriously._

_CJ thought about it, and grinned. "Never."_

_Don smiled. "Exactly. So, trust me. We'll be seeing each other. And hey, maybe Dad'll let you come to a few games."_

_CJ smiled. "That'd be cool," she agreed. "Think he'll go for it though?" she asked skeptically._

_Don shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But Mom will, and she can talk him into it." The siblings grinned at each other. Don ruffled her hair, but she swatted his hand away, giving him an annoyed glare. "Besides kiddo, there's this thing called a telephone, and you can call me anytime," he added, sarcastic yet serious at the same time._

_CJ smacked him for his sarcasm, but still smiled because she knew he'd meant what he said. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly._

_"I'm gonna miss you Donnie."_

_Don smiled sadly, hugging her back. "I'm gonna miss you too CJ."_

He hoped this time would work out as well as that one had.

CJ looked up at her brother, seeing the understanding in his eyes. "Hey," she replied quietly, then looked back down.

Don sighed, and sat down next to her. Neither said anything for a few minutes, they just sat there. When CJ sniffed, Don looked over and noticed the unshed tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall.

"Hey..." he started gently, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. Don started to say something, but CJ continued before he got the chance. "I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry I wasn't here, I'm sorry I didn't come back with you, I'm sorry I wasn't here for you guys, I'm sorry I -"

"CJ!" Don said quickly, holding his hands up to stop her ramble. She met his gaze and he sighed. "CJ, don't apologize," he told her softly.

"But I -" Don waved his hand to cut her off, and she looked at him curiously.

He took a breath. "Dad and Charlie don't know I saw you three years ago," he admitted, knowing what she was thinking about, and feeling guilty for letting her think that was going to be an issue their Dad and Charlie had with her. CJ opened her mouth, but Don answered the question she was getting ready to ask first. "I never told them." CJ looked stunned. Don sighed, running his hands over his face. "I told Mom, and she made me promise not to say anything to them," he told her quietly.

CJ stared at her brother, both confused and curious. "Why?"

Don half-shrugged. "She said it would be easier if they didn't know. She knew how they would take it, and..." Don paused, but CJ motioned for him to continue. He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "She knew you weren't gonna come back," he continued cautiously in what was almost a whisper. He saw CJ's face fall as she shut her eyes to block the tears he knew were welling up. "CJ..." he started, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she shook her head. "Hey, look...she said she knew you weren't ready to come back. She understood that." CJ finally opened her eyes to look at him, the tears were streaming quietly down her face, but she knew he wasn't lying to her. Don sighed. "I didn't really understand, but...she was right. She said that even though she knew you weren't ready to come home yet, and probably wouldn't be for a while, that you would be one day, and that Dad and Charlie thinking that you just didn't know what happened would be easier than them being mad at you for not showing up."

"I should've been here, I should've come back," CJ insisted, shaking her head at herself.

Don shook his head slowly. "CJ..." He closed his mouth again, sighing. "Look, I'm not gonna pretend that I wasn't mad at you, because I was, at least at first," he told her truthfully. "But Mom was right...you weren't ready, and I get that." CJ raised her eyebrows skeptically at her brother, who chuckled. "I do," he reiterated firmly. "Or at least I did after talking to Mom," he added. She looked down, but Don made her look back up at him and continued seriously, "CJ...I'm not gonna say I understand why you left, because honestly I'm not entirely sure I even _know_ why. But I do understand why you didn't come back home then, and I'm not mad at you." CJ smiled a little. "I don't think Dad and Charlie will be either." CJ quirked an eyebrow, and Don rolled his eyes. "Or at least not after you explain," he amended.

CJ looked down. "I don't know if I can," she admitted quietly.

"Yeah you can," Don told her confidently. "I'll help you," he added.

CJ threw her arms around his neck, hugging tightly. "I love you," she whispered, still crying a little.

Don closed his eyes for a second as he hugged her back. "I love you too kiddo." They finally let go of each other after a few minutes, and with a smirk Don said, "Come on, let's get outta here before Dad or Charlie gets back,...unless you want to see them now..."

CJ stood up quickly. "Let's go."

Don chuckled, but got up and followed her, closing the bedroom door back behind him as they left.

[][][][][]

The next day as CJ walked into the classroom, she couldn't help but be nervous. Especially after her breakdown yesterday, she didn't want to screw up again, she wanted to prove she wasn't a mess anymore. Even though she'd taken classes before, they were just a couple night classes at a community college, this was a bigger academic arena, so to speak. She sat down and took a deep breath, but even despite the nerves couldn't help but to smile as her excitement bubbled to the surface.

"Hi, are you new?" a redhead, who'd just sat down next to CJ, asked her.

CJ nodded. "Yeah. I'm CJ," she introduced herself, holding out her hand.

The girl smiled. "Lisa," she replied, shaking CJ's hand. "So...coming back to school?" she questioned.

CJ furrowed her brows. "That obvious huh?" Lisa nodded. CJ smirked. "Yeah, I decided to go back to school to get a degree," she shrugged, "make something of myself, I guess."

Lisa smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, me too. So, where are you from?"

"Oh, I grew up in Pasadena, but I've been moving around a lot for the past several years."

"Cool. I grew up in San Francisco, moved down here a couple years ago with a boyfriend. We split up, but I decided I wouldn't let my Mom be right about the move being a bad idea."

CJ smiled. "I can understand that."

Lisa smiled, and CJ was happy that she seemed to have found at least one person that she could at least be friendly with.

[][][][][]

"Hey," Amita greeted when she walked into Charlie's office. Then she noticed the look on his face. "Still not answering?" she guessed.

Charlie shook his head grimly. "I haven't been able to get an answer since a couple days ago. And Megan said they didn't have a case right now."

"Maybe he's just busy Charlie," Amita suggested.

Charlie shook his head though. "Don's avoiding me. I know it." Amita started towards him, getting ready to say something, but Charlie just sighed and shook his head, picking up his bag. "I should get going. They want me there early, and it's around lunch time so traffic'll be bad."

Amita nodded and watched him leave, wishing she could ease his mind somehow, but not knowing how to.

[][][][][]

"So, there's this _really_ cool guest speaker coming in for a lecture this afternoon, and Professor Travers gives extra points for students who attend. I was gonna go, you're welcome to join me," Lisa offered as she and CJ were walking out of class.

CJ thought about it for a second. "Yeah, that sounds cool. What time?"

[][][][][]

"So, who is this guest speaker you're so excited about?" CJ asked as she and Lisa looked for seats in the lecture hall.

"Oh, you're not gonna believe it!" she gushed. "Dr. Charles Eppes, -"

Whatever else she was saying was lost on CJ, who felt all the color drain from her face. The only thought running through her head was _'Oh shit.'_

_

* * *

_**A/N: Well, I hope you liked this chapter! I've already started the next one, but I'm not sure when I'll have it finished since it'll probably be long and I'm trying to get ready to go back to school too. I'll try to update as soon as I can though. And as always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	3. Reunions

**A/N: SORRY! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know it's been forever, and I promised an update soon. But with classes starting back and everything else I have going on, I've barely had time to sleep let alone write. I'm trying to change that though! Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3 - Reunions

She couldn't believe it, after eight years the first time she was going to to be seeing her other big brother was listening to one of his lectures. She knew Don was right, that she needed to talk to him sooner rather than later, but CJ still wanted to postpone the inevitable confrontation with her genius older brother, who could actually intimidate her a little if he wanted to, and so she held out hope that maybe he wouldn't see her in the huge lecture hall, though it wasn't that crowded so luck was not in her favor. CJ sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that she could at least prolong confronting Charlie, at least until Don could be there too, and yes she felt extremely stupid for wanting her big brother to protect her from their brother's wrath.

"Hey, over here!" Lisa called, having found a couple seats, unfortunately for CJ, right in the middle and close to the stage. CJ swallowed and tried to put on fake enthusiasm for her newfound friend as she sat down by her. "You okay?" The concern was evident in Lisa's eyes, if not her voice as well.

CJ nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." Lisa looked a little skeptical. "I was just trying to remember some of the accomplishments I've heard he's had," CJ lied, but was effective in distracting the girl sitting next to her, who seemed enamored with, unknown to her, CJ's older genius brother.

"Yeah, I know, it's incredible isn't it? I heard he graduated high school at like fourteen or something."

"Thirteen," CJ corrected automatically, unable to stop herself, and immediately regretting it. She shrugged at her friend's questioning look, and tried to plaster on an unsuspicious smile. "What? I read it in an article in this one magazine that did a mini-biography on him." It was partially true at least, CJ had read it an article on her brother, but knew it more because it was so weird to be losing both of her brothers to college at the same time, despite their five year age difference.

Lisa seemed to accept her answer and continued, "Yeah, that's right. He published when he was fourteen. It was really interesting too!" As her friend continued to gush about her brother, CJ nodded and smiled at all the right times, but was inwardly trying to swallow the fear that was starting to cause butterflies in her stomach. "Ooh look!"

CJ looked up at Lisa's command and saw for the first time since she was a teenager the same mop of dark curly hair and the same, yet slightly older and wiser looking, face of one of the most influential people, even if unintentionally, to shape her life. CJ knew that, and she and Don never blamed him for one second, if Charlie had been normal their lives would have been a lot different. She could see the difference in this Charlie from the Charlie she'd known. She could see a light there in his eyes, one that she knew had come from working so closely with his older brother, and finally getting a love life. Secretly, she wished that she would've been there to see all the changes her brother, both her brothers, had gone through, but knew there was no point in wasting time thinking about what could've been.

Charlie started his lecture, the subject of which CJ had already forgotten, she was too focused on trying to figure out all the changes he'd gone through and how she was going to approach him after this was over. CJ noticed there was a big difference in him, and finally realized what it was...confidence. Charlie had never been the most confident person, she remembered he would always get really nervous talking in front of crowds, but standing there, rambling on excitedly about the topic, CJ noticed that Charlie was totally casual, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world other than trying to get the students to understand what he was saying. She smiled. Despite herself and her internal warnings, CJ smiled at how happy her big brother seemed, and she couldn't help but be happy for him too. She was glad things had turned out so well for him, and that he and Don were apparently getting along better than they ever had.

But her internal warnings seemed to have had cause to warn her because about five seconds after she'd smiled, CJ, previously lost in thought about how both of her brothers had changed yet not changed at all, felt someone staring at her, and with a sickening stab of guilt realized it was Charlie who was staring at her. He'd stopped talking, apparently having noticed his long-lost sister in the small crowd, and held her gaze for a few seconds, which felt more like hours to both siblings, before turning back to his lecture, trying to pretend nothing had happened. Charlie seemed flustered though, and it took several minutes for him to get back his enthusiasm, though nowhere near the level it had been, for his topic. CJ closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing what the look in Charlie's eyes had meant...he couldn't believe she'd had the nerve to show up, not that she'd done it knowingly but he didn't know that, and that he was still very much _very_ angry with her.

_This day just got a hell of a lot longer_, CJ mentally sighed, opening her eyes and pretending to try and listen to what her brother was saying. Though she knew that both her and Charlie's thoughts weren't related to the lecture, but to the past, and what would happen after the lecture was over.

[][][][][]

As the students were leaving the lecture hall, CJ and Lisa among them, CJ stopped and turned to Lisa.

"Hey, I think I dropped something back there, I'll be back," she said, turning to head back.

"I'll go with you," Lisa offered nonchalantly.

"No," CJ contradicted, a little too quickly. Lisa looked at her oddly. "Uh...it's just if it's under the seats or something it might take me a little bit, and I don't wanna hold you up," she covered easily, putting years of practice covering for herself and her brothers to good use.

"That's OK, I can help," Lisa shrugged.

"No, that's OK, you go on, I'll catch up later," CJ insisted.

Lisa gave her a curious look. "Well...if you're sure..." she said slowly.

CJ gave her a friendly smile and nodded. "I'm sure. I'll catch up later."

Lisa shrugged. "OK, whatever."

CJ sighed in relief after Lisa was gone, but then took a deep breath to steel herself and headed back down towards the stage, and her brother.

Charlie was putting all of his notes back into his bag when he heard footsteps and looked up to see CJ standing there cautiously. He had hoped she would've just left, or preferably stayed away in the first place. Years of ignoring her existence had made thinking he didn't have a sister anymore easy, but now here she was standing in front of him, with an apologetic look on her face even. He watched her for a second, noticing her apprehension, even if he wasn't good with understanding human behavior he'd always been able read his sister's emotions, Don told him it was a big brother thing, even if he didn't understand them most of the time, but then he turned back to putting his stuff away.

Seeing Charlie was going to try to ignore her, CJ sighed dejectedly, "So, you're not even gonna talk to me?"

Charlie rolled his eyes, but didn't look up. "What is there to talk about CJ?" he asked shortly.

CJ raised an eyebrow at his tone, but had known he was going to be like this so it wasn't a total surprise. "Well, at least you remember my name," she tried to joke sarcastically.

Charlie gave her an exasperated look. "What do you want CJ? You come back just to make jokes or something?" he snapped. "Why are you even here? Didn't you leave just to get away from us? You've been doing a pretty good job of it. Even if you had the overwhelming urge to move back to LA, why try to talk to us? Huh? LA's a big city, you could still ignore us if you wanted to. Hey, I know, why don't you do that. You just go about your life, we'll go about ours, and me and you'll just pretend we didn't see each other today. Sound good? We can all go back to doing what we've been doing for the past eight years, and get on with our lives...ignoring each other's existence." And with that he stalked out of the lecture hall, ignoring the look of hurt on CJ's face as he passed.

[][][][][]

"So..." Megan started while she and Don were taking a break outside, waiting on David and Colby to get back with dinner. Don rolled his eyes discreetly and looked over at her, knowing what she wanted to talk about. "You have a sister..."

"Yeah," Don said slowly. He knew she wanted him to just spill, and she knew he was just trying to stall. Megan rolled her eyes and gave him a pointed look. He took a deep breath, leaning against the railing. "Fine. What did you want to know?" he sighed defeatedly.

Megan pursed her lips in contemplation. "Why are you trying to avoid this conversation?" she shot back, though gently, as she leaned on the railing next to him.

He chuckled dryly. "I guess I'm just used to it. I've been avoiding this conversation with people for eight years," he admitted.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "What happened?" she questioned softly.

Don looked down at the ground before looking out into the distance, not meeting her gaze, before telling her, "It's a long story."

"Well, we've got time," Megan pointed out.

He smirked, but turned solemn again. "After Charlie, our parents never planned on having another kid, which I'm sure you can figure out why." Megan nodded. "Then CJ came along. She was an...'oops baby', I guess you could call it, and she knew it too. Not to say Mom and Dad didn't do the best they could, because they did," he added quickly. "But...they had their hands full with Charlie, so it wasn't easy with another kid. I helped out whenever I could, but as she got older -"

"She took a leaf out of her big brother's book and started taking care of herself," Megan finished. Don chuckled, but nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much," he agreed.

"So, are you two close?"

Don nodded. "Yeah. We just always...got each other, I guess. Most of the time she'd tag along with me, and my friends, if Mom and Dad would let her." He chuckled at a memory. "She even got my baseball coach in high school to let her help her out during practice after school, sometimes games if Mom and Dad weren't there."

"Would they not have wanted her too?" she asked curiously.

"Would you want your five year old daughter hanging out with a high school baseball team?" he countered.

Megan chuckled. "Fair enough. So why did the coach let her?"

Don smirked. "Well, one day I was at practice, and I guess she missed the bus home or something -"

_"Hey Don! Isn't that your sister?" Eric, one of Don's teammates called from across the field._

_Don stopped what he was doing and looked over in the direction of the school building and saw CJ standing at the fence watching the practice. He sighed frustratedly, wondering what she was doing here, and jogged over to her._

_"What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly._

_CJ grinned. "Well, I missed the bus so I figured I could catch a ride with you."_

_Don raised his eyebrows. "How did you get here?" he questioned cautiously. She just continued grinning. "You walked?" he blurted incredulously._

_"It's not like it was that far," she shrugged nonchalantly._

_"It's two miles CJ!"_

_"So?"_

_He sighed frustratedly. "CJ, you can't walk that far by yourself!"_

_"Well, I'm here now!" she retorted, raising her voice slightly to match his tone._

_Don took a calming breath. "Fine, but stay in the dugout," he compromised. "I'll tell Mom you stayed after school for something and I got out of practice early enough to pick you up." CJ smiled, and Don rolled his eyes. "Come on." Don led her over to the dugout and told her firmly, "Now, stay here." He noticed CJ wasn't paying too much attention to him, but rather watching the practice. "CJ!" He made her look him in the eyes. "I'm serious, stay here, OK?"_

_CJ nodded. "OK."_

_Don raised his eyebrows skeptically, but decided not to push it, and went back to practice._

_"What was that about?" Tim, the teammate Don had been pitching to, asked curiously._

_Don rolled his eyes. "Little sisters," he sighed. Tim chuckled and nodded sympathetically, he had three little sisters of his own._

_The practice continued on as normal, though Don would occasionally glance over at the dugout to make sure CJ was staying put, and she was, though she was watching the practice in a way that reminded Don of the way Charlie looked at math problems._

_When Tim hit a foul ball across the field over near the dugout he sighed and started to go get it, but Don stopped him._

_"What?" Tim questioned, confused._

_Don smirked at him, but then looked over at CJ. "HEY CJ!" he called to her. She looked over at him, then to the ball he motioned to and smiled. When she came out of the dugout and picked it up, Don patted the inside of his glove. "Right here," he told her. She nodded and threw the ball to him, hitting the spot inside his glove. Don and CJ smiled at each other._

_Tim and the rest of the team, who'd noticed Don holler at CJ, were staring at CJ and then at Don, who didn't act like there was anything strange about a five year old throwing the ball across the field like they would usually do with each other._

_The coach apparently noticed too, though, because he yelled, "Eppes!" and started making his way over to Don._

_"Yeah Coach?"_

_"What the hell was that?" the coach asked, gesturing towards CJ._

_Don shrugged. "What's the problem? I figured instead of running over there and back she could just throw it over and save us the hassle. We do it all the time," he added, slightly defensive._

_The coach sighed and dropped his angry facade, glancing at CJ, who was watching them with interest, then back at Don. "You teach her that?"_

_Don nodded slightly. "She likes baseball."_

_The coach smirked. "I could use an assistant, think she'd be interested?"_

_Don grinned. "You'd have to ask her."_

_The coach nodded. "Hey kid!" he called over to CJ, who looked confused now. She looked at Don who motioned for her to come over, and she walked over._

_"My name's not 'kid'," she told the coach matter-of-factly when she reached him and her brother._

_Half the team heard her, and started laughing, even Don wasn't able to hide his smirk. The coach looked slightly annoyed, and slightly surprised, considering he expected that kind of attitude from his players, not a five year old girl._

_"Then what is your name?" he inquired, faking politeness, and CJ knew it._

_But she smiled and said, "CJ, CJ Eppes."_

_"Well, CJ, you wanna be my assistant, help me keep this bunch in line?" the coach asked her bluntly._

_CJ looked at Don, silently asking if it was OK, and when Don nodded that it was, she looked back at the coach, and with a huge smile said, "Absolutely!"_

_The coach chuckled, while Don just rolled his eyes and shook his head, and the rest of the team raised their eyebrows._

_"All right, back to practice everyone!" the coach yelled, and the team did exactly that. Then he looked at CJ. "OK, CJ, let's see what they got."_

_CJ followed him, but threw her brother a smile over her shoulder._

"So, after that, she'd come by practice a lot," he finished. "We made up this story about some after school thing she was in so our parents wouldn't get suspicious."

"Did they ever find out?" Megan asked.

"Yeah," Don nodded. "The coach knew what we were doing so he never said anything, but one day Mom got off work early and decided to have a 'girls afternoon out' or something and went to pick CJ up, but when she wasn't there and the teacher told her CJ wasn't in an after school thing, Mom realized she was with me."

Megan smiled sympathetically. "How did that turn out?"

Don shrugged. "Well, I was grounded for a couple weeks for lying about it and encouraging CJ to lie to them, and Mom yelled at us both for about an hour, but surprisingly she let CJ keep doing it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She said she knew that CJ shared my love of baseball and she wasn't going to stop her daughter from doing something she loved."

Megan smiled, wishing she could've met this woman. "So, what did Alan think about it?" Don shifted uncomfortably. "Your Mom never told him," she guessed.

He nodded. "Dad's always been protective of CJ, more so than me, but in a different way."

"What do you mean?"

Don sighed, not sure how to word it. "CJ's always had her own mind, followed her own plan..." He trailed off, thinking about how true that was, but when he noticed Megan watching him curiously he continued. "Dad just always thought that CJ would be the 'normal one', I guess. I mean, you know he was an activist right?" Megan nodded.

"And then you became an FBI Agent?"

Don nodded. "Yeah, it caused some problems for a while too. But with me doing that, and then Charlie and his math...Dad was just hoping that CJ would be the one who went to college, got a job, settled down, got married, had kids, you know, the whole thing."

Megan didn't fail to notice the underlying message in Don's voice. "So, what _did_ happen?" she questioned gently.

Don looked down and sighed. "Instead, she ran away at sixteen without any warning."

Megan didn't push for anymore, she was finally starting to understand, and she could tell this was a sore subject with the Eppes.

The two agents just stood there, settling into silence as they waited for David and Colby to get back.

[][][][][]

"Hey...You awake?" Don heard CJ whisper, and opened his eyes to see her sitting on the end of his bed cautiously.

He rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up, groggily asking, "What time is it?"

"Three," she answered quietly.

"You just get off?" CJ nodded, but never met his gaze. Don watched her for a minute, noticing her chewing on her lip and fiddling with her ring, two of her nervous habits. "What happened?" he questioned softly, still trying to wake himself up but knowing something was upsetting her. Years of experience had told him that CJ enjoyed her sleep as much as anyone else, and would never wake anyone up in the middle of the night unless something was wrong, ironically though _he _was always the one she came to, not their parents, something Charlie had done when he was little too, though Charlie would go to their Mom more as they got older.

CJ looked down. "I saw Charlie," she admitted faintly.

Don took a deep breath. "How bad was it?" He knew Charlie could have a temper, and that CJ seemed to almost always bring it out, though mostly unintentionally.

CJ swallowed. She considered not telling him, but Don seemed to know that and nudged her to tell him. "He told me we should keep ignoring each other," she informed him, barely audible.

Don sighed, but then reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a tight hug. "Don't you even think about it," he warned firmly. He noticed CJ hesitate in answering and pulled back, holding on to her shoulders, and making her look him in the eyes. "Promise me CJ. Promise me you won't let Charlie get to you. Yes, this isn't going to be easy, it's gonna be hard, but you made the right choice. Okay? Charlie's just still mad, you know that, he's trying to avoid this more than you are." CJ turned away for a second, but Don turned her back to look at him. "Come on CJ, promise me you're not gonna go back on your decision to come back, promise me you're still going to talk to Dad and Charlie."

CJ looked back at her brother warily, but knew he would force her to confront the past if he had to. "OK. I promise," she murmured.

Don gave her a small reassuring smile. "Don't worry about Charlie, or Dad. I'll be there too, OK?" CJ grinned slightly. "Come on," he said, nudging her arm. "You know I got your back," he promised.

CJ smiled and nodded, hugging him. "Thanks Donnie," she told him sincerely. "For everything."

Don smiled too as he hugged her back. "I'm your big brother, it's my job."

[][][][][]

"Don?...Don!"

"What?" He looked over at his team. When he saw that they were all staring at him, he realized he hadn't been paying any attention. "Sorry."

"You okay man?" Colby questioned.

Don nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get back to this."

The team looked at each other, but pushed their curiosity aside and went back to what they were doing.

Don sighed, shaking his head at himself. He was thankful they didn't have a new case right now, and were just going over one that was about to go to court, because he just couldn't stay focused. His mind kept wandering back to CJ.

When he was getting ready for work this morning she wasn't there, and her duffle bag was gone too. Don couldn't help but wonder if she'd listened to Charlie. Though she had promised she wouldn't go back on her decision, and CJ had never broken a promise before. But he also knew that Charlie and CJ just always got to each other somehow, even if it was unintentional, they always pushed each other's buttons.

Don tried to concentrate on the file he was looking at. The trial started next week, and he and his team needed to refresh themselves on the finer details of the case since they would probably have to testify.

An hour later, they were all ready for a break.

"Man, I hate going over all of this stuff," Colby complained.

"Me too," David agreed. "But we've still gotta do it."

Megan and Don smirked at each other, they both agreed with David and Colby.

"Hey Don."

Don looked over at Colby, who nodded towards the door. When he followed the younger man's gaze, he noticed CJ coming over and waved her in.

"Hey," she greeted cheerfully, smiling brightly and seemingly trying to stop herself from jumping up and down with excitement. Don noticed the extreme difference in her mood from last night.

"What's up with you?" he asked bluntly, slightly amused.

CJ grinned. "Come with me," she told him impatiently, gesturing for him to follow her.

Don furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and slight suspicion. "Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess you won't find out unless you come with me," she drawled.

"CJ, we're busy, I can't just up and leave," he protested.

CJ looked around at them, not failing to notice the rest of the team's amusement at her and Don's little banter, and then back at her brother.

"You don't look busy," she commented pointedly. Don rolled his eyes, but before he could argue CJ turned to the rest of the team, looking at Megan. "Megan, can my brother come out and play?" she asked her politely, but still sounding like a little kid who'd had too much sugar.

David and Colby coughed to cover up their chuckles, and Megan was smirking, trying to bite back a laugh as she nodded.

"Sure, we were getting ready to take a break anyway," Megan answered.

"Thanks," CJ replied, sending a 'Ha!' look to Don, who rolled his eyes. "Now come on," she told him impatiently, grabbing his shirt to pull him towards the exit.

Don sighed exasperatedly, but didn't fight her. "Thanks a lot Megan," he added sarcastically to her as he followed his sister.

Megan smirked. "Anytime," she called back.

When Don and CJ were out of earshot, Megan looked at David and Colby and they all burst out laughing.

[][][][][]

"OK...here we are," Cj said, finally coming to a stop and removing her hands from his eyes. Don looked around. They were in a small apartment, there wasn't much furniture and there were a few boxes laying around. "Welcome to my apartment!" she announced brightly.

He looked over at CJ. "So this is where you've been this morning?"

She nodded. "Yeah. The landlord called last night and told me it was ready to move into, and I wanted to surprise you."

He chuckled. "Well, you succeeded."

CJ grinned. "So..." she prompted. "What do you think?"

Don inhaled as he took a closer look around. "Well, you could definitely do worse," he remarked, thinking back to when he'd visited her three years ago and she'd been living in a very rundown small apartment with four other people and sleeping on a mattress on the floor.

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's all I could afford right now, but I like it. And it's mine." Don nodded. "So...?"

He grinned. "It's good sis." Don motioned her over, and CJ walked over to him, and he pulled her into a hug. "You did good kiddo. You got a job, an apartment, and you're going back school. I'm proud of you."

CJ smiled. "Thanks Donnie." They stood there for a couple minutes until CJ took a deep breath and resignedly said, "So...since I've moved in here now...I guess it's time I talk to Dad and Charlie..."

He smiled. "Dinner starts at six." CJ nodded. "So, do I get a tour before I have to get back to work?" Don questioned as he released her from the hug.

CJ nodded. "Come on."

[][][][][]

"Charlie!"

Charlie's head snapped up at Amita's tone. "What?" He was confused.

"Charles have you been listening to anything we've said?" Larry questioned.

Charlie sighed. "Sorry guys, I just can't seem to focus."

Larry and Amita glanced at each other, silently trying to decide who was going to bring it up. In the end Amita decided to try.

"You haven't exactly been yourself since you came back from your lecture at USC yesterday," she commented cautiously.

Larry noticed Charlie tense at the mention of his lecture and asked, "Did something happen that you might wish to talk about?"

"You can tell us Charlie," Amita assured him.

Charlie knew they were only trying to help. Unfortunately, they wouldn't understand his dilemma. Larry had met CJ a few times, but Charlie had never really talked much about her, or at all after she ran away, so he wouldn't understand why Charlie was upset. And Charlie had never even told Amita he had a sister. No, there was only one person Charlie could talk to this about, and that was someone who already knew CJ was back.

"I'll be back later," he said abruptly, starting to leave.

"Where are you going?" Amita questioned.

"To talk to Don."

[][][][][]

"Where's Don?" Charlie asked impatiently, seeing the rest of the team but not his brother.

"He's in the break room," Megan told him calmly, watching the mathematician carefully.

Charlie nodded shortly and took off towards the break room.

"What's up with him?" Colby asked bluntly, voicing the question on all of their minds.

When Charlie reached the break room, Don was just coming out. Charlie noted that Don looked slightly surprised to see him.

"Were you going to tell me?" Charlie snapped.

Don sighed, glancing around and noticing that Charlie's anger had gotten a few people's attention. "Let's talk in here," he said as he grabbed Charlie's arm and led him to one of the empty conference rooms.

As soon as Don shut the door Charlie asked angrily, "How long have you known she was back?"

Don took a deep breath, trying to remain calm since Charlie definitely wasn't. "Since she got here," he answered honestly. "She showed up at my apartment a few nights ago, asking to crash on my couch until her apartment was ready for her to move into."

"And you let her?" Charlie scoffed.

Don rolled his eyes. "Come on Charlie, she's still our sister."

"She has a funny way of showing it," he muttered bitterly.

"Charlie, she was sixteen, it was eight years ago. She came back. Why can't you just be happy about that and try to work things out with her? Huh? No, instead you tell her to stay away and keep ignoring us."

Charlie met Don's gaze. "She told you about that?" he asked quietly, but incredulously.

Don shrugged. "Not willingly. And I had to convince her not to listen to you!"

He glared at Don. "Why do you always side with her? She always goes to you, and you always side with her."

He couldn't help himself, Don chuckled at that. "You think I always side with her? Charlie, I've given her more lectures than Mom and Dad did!" Charlie gave him a skeptical look but decided not to comment. "And you wanna know why she always comes to me?" Charlie looked at his brother, and Don could see the honest curiosity in his eyes. "I was always her second choice. She comes to me because she can't go to you," he told him bluntly.

"Oh please," Charlie sighed exasperatedly. "She never even tries to come to me," he argued.

"Not anymore," Don partially agreed. "Because you ignored her so much when we were kids, she just stopped trying."

"When did she ever try to hang out with me instead of you? Never!"

"Oh yeah? What about her first day of kindergarden?" Charlie furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Remember, she talked Mom and Dad into letting her ride the bus home?"

"Yeah, so? She sat with you and your friends," Charlie pointed out.

"Yeah, _after_ she tried to sit with you."

_CJ stepped on the already crowded school bus, and immediately started looking for her brothers. Don was sitting in the back with his friends, but still gave her a smile when he saw her, which she returned. Charlie was sitting in the seat behind the driver talking animatedly about speeds and distances, and how the driver could improve the route and get kids home quicker._

_She walked over to where Charlie was sitting. "Hey Charlie!" she greeted cheerfully. He gave her a slight nod and continued on with his rant, but otherwise gave no indication he'd heard her._

_Knowing that there was no way she would be able to talk to Charlie when he was rambling on about numbers, she made her way to the back of the bus to where Don and his friends were sitting._

_"Hey kiddo! How was your first day?" Don asked as he pulled her into the seat next to him._

_CJ shrugged. "Not bad I guess. I still wish I could go to school with you and Charlie though," she mumbled._

_Don smirked. "You say that now."_

_"Yeah, you wouldn't be saying that if you saw the crap load of homework Mrs. Jenkins gave us," Sean, one of Don's best friends who'd been around CJ quite a bit, told her._

_Of course, Sean's comment got the group of teenage boys off on a rant about the teachers and classes, but that didn't stop CJ from joining in the conversation when they started talking about sports._

_When they finally reached their bus stop, Don and CJ got off and found Charlie waiting for them, and the three started walking towards the craftsman._

_"Hey, where did you sit?" Charlie asked CJ._

_She gave him a sarcastic 'Really?' face, but when he didn't seem to notice that just said, "I sat with Donnie."_

_"Oh." Don noticed Charlie seemed slightly disappointed, but knew CJ hadn't caught that. "Well, you can sit with me next time if you want," Charlie told her._

_CJ's face lit up. "Really?"_

_Charlie nodded. "Sure."_

"But guess what Charlie...you did the same thing the next day too, and the day after that, and so on."

Charlie looked away from his brother. "I don't remember that," he said defensively.

Don gave a slight nod of agreement. "No, you probably don't. But CJ does. She remembers that, and all the other times you ignored her."

Charlie glared at Don. "I didn't ignore her," he denied firmly.

Don quirked an eyebrow. "No? Then you remember her following you around all the time when she was little?"

Charlie looked confused. "She didn't follow me around."

"Yeah, Charlie, she did. Right after she learned to walk she started following you around anytime she was around you. Ask Dad if you don't believe me."

"What does this have to with anything?" Charlie snapped, shaking his head, not wanting to admit Don was right.

Don sighed. "The only reason she didn't show up on your doorstep instead of mine is because she thinks you hate her."

Charlie didn't say anything. He was still mad at CJ, and a few reasons of the reasons he hadn't even told anyone about. The last time he'd seen her before she ran away was when they were arguing. It made sense that she would think he hated her. To be honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he did or not.

Don wanted to yell and have this out with Charlie right now, but knew there was at least several people watching them through the glass and that this wasn't the time or the place.

Instead he sighed and said, "Look, just talk to her about it at dinner."

"What?" Charlie's head snapped up to look at Don.

"She's coming over for dinner tonight," Don informed his brother.

Charlie scowled at his brother. "And you're just telling me now?"

Don shrugged. "I wasn't gonna tell you in the first place, I was gonna let it be a surprise, but since you're here now, yeah, I'm telling you now."

"So you haven't told Dad either?"

Don shook his head. "No. And I have a suggestion that you're probably not going to like."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"Why don't you and CJ forget about yesterday, and just start over tonight?" he recommended gently.

Charlie huffed. "Yeah, like that'll happen." Don sighed exasperatedly. "Oh come on Don, you know as well as I do that CJ doesn't forgive and forget easily."

"But will you?" Don challenged. Charlie looked confused. "Will you forget about yesterday and just start over tonight?"

Sighing, knowing he couldn't win this one, Charlie muttered, "Fine. I will if she will."

Don nodded. "She will."

"How do you know?" Charlie retorted.

"Because I'll tell her to," he shrugged.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that."

Don sighed, rolling his eyes too.

[][][][][]

"OK, so you know the deal?"

CJ rolled her eyes, sighing. "Yes, me and Charlie are gonna pretend we didn't see each other yesterday."

"Come on CJ, drop the attitude. You know things will go a lot smoother if you do." CJ didn't say anything, and Don took that to mean she agreed. "Here we are," he sighed as they pulled into the driveway. He glanced over at CJ, who looked like she wanted to run. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" he questioned gently.

"I don't know if I can do this Donnie," she admitted anxiously.

"It'll be fine, OK?" He was trying to sound reassuring, but CJ still looked unsure. "Come on kiddo, you've gotta do this sooner or later, and I can wait all night until you do if I have to," he told her softly, but still firm, and CJ knew his threat was real.

"OK, let's do this," she said, trying to sound confident, but her voice still shook a little.

Don gave her a reassuring smile as they got out and headed to the door.

"You ready?" Don asked her.

CJ shook her head. "No, but let's do it anyway."

Don couldn't help but smirk as he opened the door and entered the house. "Hey guys," he called.

"Hey Don," Charlie greeted tensely, knowing CJ was probably standing right outside the door.

"Donnie! Hey, there you are," Alan said as he came into the living room. "Dinner should be ready soon." He noticed Don just nod nonchalantly. "Why are you still holding the door open?" he questioned curiously.

"Uh...well, I've got a surprise," Don started slowly. Alan gave him a questioning look, and Don took a deep breath as CJ walked in. "Look who I brought," Don said lightly, trying to ease the tension in the room as both Alan and Charlie were staring at CJ.

"Hey Dad," CJ greeted nervously.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope you liked this chapter! I've started the next one already, but with classes and stuff I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to devote to writing. I'll have an update as soon as I can though, promise! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


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